The FortyFive Tails Project
by Lio's Itachi
Summary: AU. Orochimaru opens demon rifts and to save the 5 Nations, nine children are made jinchuriki. But something goes wrong and now the ninja of the Leaf village must cross time and space to retrieve all 45 tails, before someone else finds them first.
1. The Beginning: Desperate Times

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. If I did there would be massive changes that would include the introduction of logic. And there would waffles. Many, many waffles.

A/N: My story and cannon will occasionally nod to each other as they pass each other on the street, they might give each other the time of day. Maybe. Here are some helpful definitions.

/ says:

Alternate: al·ter·nate _**noun**_ one that substitutes for or alternates with another.

Parallel: par·al·lel _**adj**_ extending in the same direction, everywhere equidistant, and not meeting

Universe: **: ****uni·verse **_**noun**_ ** a** distinct field or province of thought or reality that forms a closed system or self-inclusive and independent organization.

In this story there is both an ALTERNATE _and_ a PARALLEL UNIVERSE. So let's have none of this "But that's not canon..." (insert whiny tone here) And now...

STORY!

Minato surveyed the nine walled room. It was surprisingly cheerful, considering its purpose. Each wall held an artistically stylized mural of a demon. Despite the poor lighting, the room practically glowed from the chakra held by a webwork of seals keeping the nine biju trapped in the murals. As his eyes roamed the room he forced himself to remember those who had died to trap the demons. Seven of the jinchuriki had died during the extraction process. His wife, Kushina, among them. Not all of the jinchuriki had been willing to participate in this project; many good ninja had died securing them. He knew what he had done was no less then kidnapping and murder, and he would not pretend otherwise. If the need had not been so great, he never would have done such a thing. If the need-

"I thought I'd find you here, sensei." He was startled out his brooding by Rin's voice. "Sarutobi-sama was right, you think too much." She leaned against the doorway framed by the tails of the monster cat, Nibi.

"Really? Mostly I remember him telling me I didn't think enough." He smiled at the young chunin. "So, I doubt you came here just to chide me for brooding."

"Hai. Report from the border patrol, Tsunade and Shizune crossed the border a few hours ago. They should be here by nightfall. Kakashi is at the wall on lookout for them. Oh, and Team Ibiki is back. They have the Mist child. The other medics are checking her over now."

"Her? I thought they were sending a boy?"

She shrugged, "Well unless the kid can change gender, it's a girl."

He nodded, no use worrying about details that wouldn't matter. They left the room and headed to their separate tasks. Her to continue distributing messages, him to debrief team Ibiki.

As the Hokage walked into his office he motioned to his assistant, Obito, to follow him. "Please tell me we have good news." he said as he sat behind his desk.

"I wish I could, Sensei. Other then Team Ibiki's success with Mist there's not much good I can tell you. The child from Sand did arrive this morning, but Rain, Cloud and Grass have all backed out. We are looking for replacements, but there aren't many who fit the requirements. Danzo is searching the orphanages to try and expand our choices. Still no word on Orochimaru's whereabouts. The civilians have caused several small riots and we still can't find the one stirring them up." He paused a moment before posing the question they had all been asking themselves. "Minato-sama, are we sure we are doing the right thing? Jinchuriki are notorious for being hard to control, and we are planning to make nine of them. Is this truly the best course?" Obito had been wary of this plan from the beginning, but he trusted his Hokage, so he had supported it. But now that the project was only days away from completion he was beginning to have second thoughts.

Minato was silent for a moment, "I don't know, but I see no other solution. We have come too far to stop now. Those seals won't hold the biju forever. They are already beginning to weaken. It will be done tonight." he proclaimed. "All our pieces are in place: Danzo will find us suitable replacements, Tsunade will be here tonight to take office, our alliance with Sand is solid and no other village has the power to take us on." Obito's protest went unheard as his Hokage continued, "Time is against us, we cannot let Jiraiya and Sarutobi-sama's sacrifice be in vain."

_A bright flash and the sound of thousand souls wailing ripped apart the serenity of the spring afternoon. The earth shook and a great roaring boom echoed through the village as a massive gorge seemed to open up through the length of Konoha. A moment later, hundreds of demons began climbing out of the half-mile tear in the earth. Ninja rushed to combat the sudden invasion from below. A tidal wave of fearsome monsters rose from the ground wailing and howling and killing anything in its path. All shapes and sizes of demons clawed their way up to the surface. Civilians panicked and ran. Chaos reigned in the village of the Leaf. Minato issued hasty orders to his ninja, he had been Hokage for less then two weeks, and now his first test was before him. He looked for his mentors, Jiraiya of the Sannin and the former Hokage Sarutobi. They were nowhere he could see, and then the fight was upon him, a spider-like demon with arms where legs should have been was slashing at him with an impossibly complicated looking sword. He used a Rasengan to destroy the beast and began a summoning jutsu. The streets were suddenly filled with toads. _

_ Then he spotted his quarry. They were on top of the Hokage tower, battling none other then Orochimaru and a four armed demon that would have made a biju look cuddly. They were losing. Jiraiya was defending against both while the Sandaime flashed through a string of hand seals. Minato fought his way through a pack of jackal-like demons and ran to help a genin team pinned down by a brute wielding an oversized spiked mace. As the mace swung past, he realized that the ball on the end of it was a skull pierced with spikes, spitting fire at him as it buzzed inches from his face. The monster fell when one of the genin took advantage of its distraction and planted his sword in its back. The carnage sickened him as he made his way to the tower. Some of the larger creatures were swatting aside experienced jonin like they were little more then insects, while the smaller ones harassed and picked at the defenders from the sidelines. He finally made it to the tower walls and ran up the side, fearing he might already be too late. When he got there, Sarutobi was still flipping through hand signs at an incredible pace. 'What the hell kind of jutsu is he using that requires that many signs?' he wondered absently as he joined the fray, engaging the multi-armed demon. Jutsu after jutsu failed to make an impression on the demon. The only thing that seemed to even make the thing notice him was lightning but even that failed to do real damage. And Sarutobi was still making hand seals. _

"_Kid!" Jirayaia yelled, "He's almost done, now get the hell out of here. The village needs you." Then picked his student up and threw him off the roof. _

_ Minato landed on the roof of the next building and before he could stand he saw his teachers begin to glow with unknown chakra. Jiraiya launched himself at the gaping rent in the ground still __spewing out demonic terrors. When Sarutobi finished his stream of hand seals, his sensei's unnerving __energy expanded, momentarily blinding him. When he got his vision back, there was nothing to see. The demon, the gorge, his predecessor and his teacher, gone. Orochimaru stood on top of the tower alone, and stunned, and screamed with rage before vanishing. Minato came back to himself just in time to roll out of the way of an ax aimed for his chest. _

_ The battle raged for hours before the demons began fleeing the city. The Hokage stood among the ruins and the dead. They had won, but at what cost?_

Obito cleared his throat, politely trying to rouse his sensei from his memories. Minato gave a start and sat up straighter, pulling a note pad to him. "Send in Ibiki and his team as soon as they are ready."

"Hai." Obito bowed and left quietly. The wait for the requested team was a short one. A knock at the door signaled their arrival. "Enter." The four shinobi entered the room and stood to attention. "Report please."

"We successfully retrieved the Mist jinchuriki candidate. The mission went as expected with the exception of the child being female rather then male. We ran into no difficulties while traveling." Ibiki kept it short and sweet.

"Very well. I have your new assignments for you. Ibiki, Tsunade will be arriving by night fall. I want her sworn in as Hokage by midnight. You are to oversee the preparations for it. Once the ceremony is over you will assist her in her transition to Hokage." he turned to the three genin. "I am moving the completion date of the forty-five tails project to dawn. Kurenai, you will assist in the final preparations for it's completion. Anko, Iruka, you are to assist Danzo in locating the final three vessels for the biju."

His words were met by silence and then a chorus of, "Hai, Hokage-sama!"

"Dismissed." They filed out of the room silently, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

Kakashi patrolled along the walls, keeping one eye out for Tsunade and her assistant, Shizune. They were due in any time between now and sunset. He kept the other eye out for demon attacks. They attacked frequently in small groups, testing the village's perimeter for weakness. After the initial attack they had driven the demons out of the village, and since then none had succeeded in getting back in, but that didn't mean they didn't try. 'Well, on the bright side,' he mused, 'the smaller ones are good training for genin and chunin.' Though not all of them were easy to take out. Some of the larger ones had wiped entire squads of jonin without breaking stride. He didn't agree with Minato-sensei's decision to go forward with his project, but he couldn't find a better solution, so like his teammates, he kept his mouth shut and prayed that it wasn't a mistake.

While the demon infestation had ended the war it hadn't ended the death toll. After the initial battle and a few skirmishes on Suna's behalf, things had settled down a bit for Konoha. Reconstruction of the damages done during the battle went quickly and their ties to Suna had become closer, despite having been enemies in the war. Suna was holding its own rather nicely. They had the advantage of being able to send in puppets to soften up the bigger demons before committing live ninja. Cloud had not been so lucky. More then half their ninja force and civilian population had been destroyed. Between the demon onslaught and the blood line purges, Mist had almost disappeared. No one knew what was happening in Stone, but they sent genin to every chunin exam. Rumors were flying about Grass electing a Kage on par with the other Kages of the five great nations. Kakashi was still waiting for his spies to confirm it.

After the death of Jiraiya, Kakashi had taken over his international spy network. The arrangement had been made as a contingency plan back in the beginning of the war, but he never thought he would have to actually use it. He was nowhere near as effective as Jiraiya had been; that didn't mean he didn't try though.

The Yondaime sat behind his desk and stared at a non-existent spot in the air as if it could give him answers if he just glared hard enough. The papers on his desk needed the Hokage's full attention, but so did everything else. He sighed and sealed them in a scroll; the information in them was too sensitive to leave laying out. After covering it in protective seals that only Tsunade would be able to open, he moved on to the next stack. A knock at the door interrupted him and he looked over the ever-growing pile of things he was going to have to let Tsunade deal with once she became Hokage. He wished he could resolve some of them. That at least would make him feel less like he was running away from his responsibilities.

"Enter." the disruption was a welcome break.

"Danzo-sama to see you, sir." Obito was pushed out of the way before he was finished speaking.

"It's alright Obito." the chunin nodded and closed the door behind him. "What can I do for you Danzo-san?" Minato leaned back in his chair, quite used to the elder man's impatience and abrasiveness.

"Hokage-sama, you may wish send your ANBU out and secure the room." That was one thing Minato did like about the nefarious sneak. He came right to the point of things. He nodded to the Anbu and activated the privacy seals around the office once they had gone.

"Please tell me you have good news. I'd take mediocre news at this point." The black ops specialist ignored his leaders poor attempt at humor and pulled a stack of files out of his vest.

"My operatives found this while investigating one of Orochimaru's abandoned bases. It looked like he was forced to leave in a hurry. Fortunately, the self destruct seals were damaged during whatever forced him out. While most of the base is rubble, there were a few rooms that escaped complete destruction. Most of what was found was useless or already known, but we did find this." He placed the folders on top of the ones Minato was already sorting through. The old cripple took a seat to wait while the younger man looked through the papers.

Glancing through the files in front of him, the Hokage made sure to keep his expression the same. This was an incredible find; research concerning time and space jutsus. A rather large portion of it seemed to concentrate on alternate and parallel universes. Diagrams for sealing arrays to make a permanent dimensional door, theories on summoning and the body flicker technique, there was even notes on his own Flying Thunder God technique. All in all it was the most comprehensive research on time and space he had ever seen. That was when it hit him, "This... this is what that bastard used to unleash those demons." The old man nodded. "Who else has read this?"

"The operative who found it glanced through the first few pages before realizing what he held and turned it over to me immediately. I glanced through most of it to verify it, but other then that no one." Danzo leaned forward, cane planted between his legs, "Though I must point out, that is not the Snake's handwriting."

"No, it's not. Nor would he leave so much information in one place." Orochimaru would never have been so careless as to leave such a wealth of damning evidence out in the open. No, this was not Orochimaru's work. He may have taken advantage of it- it definitely matched the snake Sannins brand of crazy- but there was another hand at work here. "It was planted."

Nodding, Danzo stood again and bowed low to the man behind the desk. "Hokage-sama, I once again request that you allow someone else to oversee the completion of the forty-five tails. You are the village's last great sealing master. While I do not doubt that Tsunade-hime will make an excellent Hokage, we need your skills."

"You have just stated why it must be me who finishes the project. No one else has the skills or raw power to complete it. Besides, I would not ask of others what I am not willing to give. Kakashi may not have reached the level of seal master yet, but he is close, and I hear young Iruka seems to have a talent for it as well. And you yourself are no green genin. This is something that must be done." During the drawn out pause Danzo straightened and resumed his seat. "I don't suppose there was anything to indicate Orochimaru's whereabouts?"

"No. Once again the snake has escaped untouched. We will continue looking, as always. Is there anything else you would wish me to pursue?"

"No, although I do have one request."

"Anything Hokage-sama."

"You have served this village well these many years. While the advice you give is not always welcome and I know you and the third clashed often, I do want you know that my time as Hokage has been made better by it. It is my hope that you will continue to advise Tsunade in such a manner, even if the advice is spurned. While your words are often things I would rather not hear, I often find that they are needed." He smiled at the old ninja. "Thank you. Your council has made Konoha more secure."

"Thank you Hokage-sama. Knowing that my words are heard and considered means much. Now, if you will excuse me Hokage-sama, there are many things yet to be done. I do wish you would reconsider, but I understand your choices." Danzo bowed low before making his way through the door.

Danzo entered his office and dismissed the Root operatives that were his constant shadow before sealing the room for privacy. Here in this room, on the lowest level of his secret base was the only place he felt secure enough to sit and devote himself entirely to thought. He knew that this false sense of security might one day be his downfall, but a man had to have somewhere he could relax. A state of constant paranoia would slowly, yet surely, drive one to insanity. There were those among his critics, and some few among his allies, that believed him to have already reached that point. A rare smile crossed his features. _They might be right. After all, it's rare that the insane believe there to be anything wrong with them. _

The smile faded and he put aside his woolgathering to think on the matters at hand. It was vexing to see all of his hard work in grooming the young Hokage to be more security-minded and more controlling of the various councils come back to bite him like this. He had spent years nudging the young man to take a more active role in village security then his predecessor had. And now that he had succeeded, the Yondaime was set on sacrificing himself for the good of the village. Not that he disagreed with the plan, he just wished the boy's moral code would allow him to give Danzo oversight of who the sacrifices would be. If it were up to the black ops director every single one of them would be criminals or enemy shinobi, not valuable Leaf volunteers. And certainly not the Hokage himself. He had tried everything he knew to bring his leader around to his point of view, but the boy was set on upholding the ethics code Sarutobi had instilled in him. Again, not that he disagreed with it. After all, the village's Will of Fire was part of what made Leaf the strongest of the five great villages. But sometimes ethics had to be put aside for the greater good.

Which was what led him to his actions of the previous week. After all his direct and overt attempts failed, he set the ethics aside and implemented the non-direct and covert methods he was so infamous for. He had weakened the seals holding the demons within their temporary prisons. Not enough to be a true danger, but enough to force the time table to accelerate. He had timed it to coincide with the majority of the chosen sacrifices being out on missions. He had ensured that the Ino-Shika-Cho trio had been sent too far to be recalled. The Hyuuga had been easy, he hadn't needed to intervene there. A Branch House member was summarily volunteered and that was that. He didn't really care who Sand and Mist sent. If they wanted to weaken themselves that was fine, but he doubted they would send anyone who was of any significance. The refusal of the other villages to participate in the project had been the Kami's own blessing as far as Danzo was concerned, that meant all but two of the biju would be remaining in the village. He was still looking for a way to keep the other two without causing a war with their allies. Two of the nine slots in the project were being filled by orphans, allowing for the sacrifices to be chosen by Danzo. They were both disgraced shinobi with more ambition then skill who were desperate to restore their honor.

Danzo had accepted the fact that he couldn't do anything to alter the Yondaime's decision to use himself as a sacrifice. So now he was planning for the Fourth's successor. Senju Tsunade, granddaughter of the first Hokage, the Slug Princess, one of the Legendary Sannin and numerous other titles. At one point he might have claimed to know what made the woman tick, but the past five years had altered the medic-nin's personality profoundly. She had become an unknown, and this bothered Danzo. So many careful plans could fall apart so easily if she were to take an active interest in the wrong things.

Konoha held little for Tsunade after the deaths of her Sensei and teammate. She'd left, intending to never return. Now, two short years later, Minato had called her back, requiring her aid in his insane scheme. His plan to use the biju to fight these new demons might actually work, thought it would cost Minato and eight other their lives... and leave her wearing the Hokage's hat.  
>She hated this plan.<p>

Finally, she and Shizune took the last steps to the village gates. She hesitated; there was still time to turn around and go back into hiding.  
>"Tsunade-sama? We should go in. The sun is setting." The Sannin nodded resignedly as Kakashi came out to greet them.<p>

Hyuuga Hiashi considered the day as he placed his baby daughter in her crib. He'd met with the Hokage to review the updated plan. He was pleased that his family would receive the recognition it deserved from the sacrifice of his daughter (the Branch House member who would be dying wasn't really a consideration to Hiashi). It would insure he was taken seriously by the village council and guarantee the continued respect of the civilians. He was pleased that Minato was taking such a bold approach to strengthening the village. The other hidden villages would be forced to think carefully before attacking the Leaf now. The strength of seven jinchuriki would see to that. It was a shame they could not keep all nine, but the appearance of hoarding power was the best way to unite the other villages against them. No, Minato had shown great wisdom in offering the other villages a chance at this power. The ones who not accepted had no one but themselves to blame for not accepting the gift of the weapons they had been offered. In his opinion Sarutobi had been far too soft to be an effective leader. While losing such a strong Hokage so soon was unfortunate, it was necessary to the survival of the village.

Kurenai had been placed in charge of overseeing all the final details. Minato was busy briefing Tsunade, Ibiki and Danzo were triple-checking security, and Kakashi was on demon duty on the walls of the village. Iruka and Anko were at the orphanage, retrieving the last two children. The eight voluntary sacrifices were saying their last goodbyes, ANBU watching to make sure they wouldn't back out at the last minute.

Finally, Anko and Iruka came back, bearing a small bundle each. Iruka placed his bundle in one crib. "Her name is Ten-Ten." Kurenai wrote it down on the ID tag with the number 7 on it and slipped it around the child's ankle.

Anko grinned. "Mine didn't have a name. I call him my little Dango." She thrust a bundle covered in something sticky at Kurenai, who sighed as she took the unfortunate child to a nearby sink. Iruka turned to glare at the grinning kunoichi. "Anko, you are not calling this child 'Dango'."  
>"Fine. What about Hebi?"<br>"'Snake'? No."  
>"We could call him Anko Jr!"<br>The "NO!" came from two mouths this time. Anko pouted. "What about Kunai? That's a tough name."  
>Iruka frowned. "Ehh... still no."<br>"A different weapon then? What about... Sai?"  
>"N- oh, fine. Sai. Kurenai, write it down. Happy now, Anko?" The snake summoner nodded imperiously as Kurenai slipped the tag with the 8 around baby Sai's ankle. "Oh! He gets the Hachibi? That's got those octopus tentacle-tails! That's almost like a snake. Don't worry little Dango-snake, I'll be a good Mommy." She cooed at the crib, ignoring the horrified looks she knew her teammates were trading behind her back.<p>

Finally, everything was ready. All nine children and eight sacrifices were in position. Tsunade was as prepared as she could be (and mad as hell at him, but it couldn't be helped), and ready to take over as Hokage. All that was left was to apply the final seals and it would be done. Minato started with the One-tail and worked steadily, at last placing the Nine-tail's seal upon his son and then himself.

As Iruka watched, several things happened at once. Minato triggered the seals, Iruka saw something wrong with energy in the wall-seals holding the Biju in place, there was a flash of light, and then ominous silence.  
>When he could see again, it was all over. He took in the scene in front of him and went dry-mouthed in horror. The walls were empty. The sacrifices were lifeless heaps on the floor. And the nine children were gone.<p> 


	2. Childhood: Unexpected Events

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Though I'm wondering if Kishi would loan me Kurenai for a few days.

Sorry for the delay. STUFF happened. Think of a train wreck. Now, think about the train wreck lasting four months. Now imagine that the train wreck is your life. Yeah. Fun. So …. yea, it's a chapter!

Lionasha, my wife, my love, my beta, thank you for supporting me these last few months. I couldn't have survived them without you.

* * *

><p>The evening's quiet was broken by the raucous calls of boys in the side yard of the old orphanage. Had the adults not all been putting the younger children to bed, the fight happening in the barren yard would have been broken up long ago. As it was, there was no one to stop the fight before things became more serious.<p>

"Come on kid, hold still, it's only gonna hurt a little."  
>The circle of boys ringing the two combatants one an over sized teenager, the other a short and somewhat stocky eight year old, yelled and cheered.<br>"Get 'im Tei!"  
>"C'mon Naruto, you've beat him before!"<p>

When the punch had hit, he'd felt something break in his chest as pain seared through him, robbing him of the ability to breathe. As always, the pain didn't last long and he knew that by nightfall there wouldn't even be a bruise. Because of this he had developed a reputation for being a bully. After all, how could he claim he had been attacked when his opponent was the only one who had any marks? It also gave him a reputation for being one of the toughest fighters in the orphanage. If you wanted to prove yourself, you challenged Naruto. Or if you wanted to use a living punching bag and not get in trouble for it. Like now. And it was getting old. He was tired of being punished for defending himself. The welts from the headmaster's cane disappeared as fast as the bruises, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. He knew what was going to happen. Whether he won or lost this fight, he would be called into the headmaster's office, where he would be lectured and punished and given extra chores.

Tei saw an opening in Naruto's defenses and hooked his fist into the boy's jaw. There was a crunching sound as the boy hit the ground and for a moment Tei thought he had gone too far. His rising fears settled as Naruto shot to his feet and re-assumed his fighting stance. He gave a tight grin; Naruto was always good for a fight. The grin disappeared when he saw the younger boy's face though. His face was a rictus of anger and hatred. Suddenly this didn't look like fun anymore.

Naruto felt his jaw slam closed. A moment later it exploded in pain as he felt a tooth shatter and part of his jaw crumple. Something in him snapped. He had had it. His vision became a hazy red and he felt _power_ course through him. It was time to teach this oversized gorilla a lesson. From deep within him he felt a wisp of approval urging him on. He surged to his feet and dropped into the stance he would attack from. Then he was a blur of fists and feet. He gave his enemy no time to react or defend. He kept attacking until the _power_ faded.

Tei swayed on his feet for a moment, the beating he had just taken should have him lying unconscious on the ground. If Naruto was bigger the fight would be over and Tei would most likely be dead. The reason he wasn't was because of his hundred-pound advantage over the boy. Even so it was willpower alone that kept him upright. He wasn't about to let some eight year old gaki win. He could see that the that burst of violence had taken everything kid had. Now it would be easy to knock the little brat down and keep him down. The kid could barely stand.

Tei was still standing. Naruto stared in disbelief and anger. The bastard should be down. Hell, the bastard should be _dead_ after a beating like that. The blonde gathered the last of his strength and ran forward, focusing all of his energy into a single point, and then unleashed the energy into a roundhouse kick that drove into Tei's spine as the older boy turned to move out of the way. Every one present heard the sickening crack as the older of the two combatants fell to the ground, his spine broken.

Naruto stared at the older boy laying on the ground, unmoving. Why wasn't he getting up. Why wasn't he moving? The crowd around them had fallen silent and still. Someone in the back turned and ran in the direction of the main building. "Holy shit..." came from just behind him. Naruto spun around to see Ryuu, one of the few older boys who left him alone and was actually friendly to him. Their eyes met and Ryuu grabbed him by the back of the shirt and dragged him towards the side gate of the orphanage walls.

"Run," Ryuu whispered, pushing the gate open, "Run and I'll meet you at the docks tomorrow night." Naruto didn't move, he was having trouble understanding what was being said. After a stinging slap the words penetrated. _Run, meet at the docks._ "Don't just stand there, GO!" he yelled. Naruto's brain was still processing the words, but his feet knew what they were supposed to do, and they took off down the street with speed born of terror.

General Oshiro Tamotsu of the Emperor's Imperial Army stared down at his adopted son, remembering the day he had found the boy.

_He had been promoted to general nearly a decade earlier, but he firmly believed that an officer needed to take an active role in the training of those under his command. Leading from behind a desk was a sure way to lose not only his edge, but the respect of his soldiers. So he had found himself out on a deserted stretch of beach a few miles outside of the port city that had been chosen as the launching point for the black ops invasion set to leave the next week. It was a training exercise to ensure that things went smoothly. While he would not be participating in the mission, he would be damned if it failed because a training detail was overlooked. While reviewing the troops' work as they swam in from a distant ship, he noticed a group of soldiers clustered around something near the shoreline. Wanting to know why his men were standing around with their thumbs in their asses instead of getting themselves ready for the next stage of the mission exercise, he strode over to the group. A soldier looked up as he approached and snapped to attention, the others quickly followed suit. _

"_What's going on here. Why aren't you-" he stopped as he caught sight of the small bundle they had been focusing on. A tiny mop of bright red hair was nestled in a pile of sand, half wrapped in a water logged blanket. At that moment the mop let it be known that it was unhappy by releasing a cry of displeasure loud enough to wake the dead. He stared at the unhappy infant before him and then leaned down to pick him up, all the while knowing he was committing a fatal error. _I've already raised four children._ As soon as the child was nestled securely in his arms the crying stopped. Infant eyes met aged eyes. _I'm too old for this_. _I should hand the child to one of the younger men_. The little red head grabbed onto his finger with his tiny hand. And all of the mighty general's defenses came tumbling down._

Even now, looking at the source of his current consternation who sported a black eye and a split lip, he dared anyone to put forth an example of a more perfect son.

"You insulted and provoked the daughter of the captain of the city garrison. And what's this I hear about you pushing sand into her face?" Gaara stood at attention while his father dressed him down. "Young man, you have put me in a very difficult position. Captain Hamasaki is a respected war hero and a personal favorite of the emperor. Despite my rank he could make my life very difficult right now if he wished to. Your actions tonight have strained an already unstable situation. The point of tonight's gala was to ease the political tension of me assuming command of the city garrison. And here you are picking a fight with his daughter. What do you have to say for yourself?"  
>The sand-obsessed insomniac blinked. "I like her." Tamotsu couldn't really think of an answer for that. After a moment's thought he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers. "Go get cleaned up before your mother sees you."<br>"Yes Sir!" The small redhead limped off to the washroom while holding his ribs. The general let out another sigh and shook his head. The girl had worked his son over pretty good. He ran a hand through his mostly gray hair. _I'm too old for this._

"You beat up General Oshiro's son!"  
>"He insulted me!"<br>"I have to work with his father. Who, by the way, outranks me."  
>"This is your garrison! Why are they even here?" Ten-Ten pouted. "I wish they would just go back to where they came from."<br>Captain Hamasaki Makato surveyed his daughter. She was covered in sand, her new dress was ripped, and there was a rather deep cut on her jaw oozing blood. He winced; that would need stitches and was definitely going to leave a scar. He stepped out of the room and sent a nearby soldier for a medic. There were advantages to holding such events on the main base. Any party involving the militia generally ended up needing medics eventually. He closed the door and walked back to the counter his daughter was sitting on. He stroked her uninjured cheek as he remembered the day she came into his life.

_He had just gotten home from a nine day training exercise and was looking forward to spending some time with his wife. He was a few hours early and was looking to surprise her. He had noticed something wrong as soon as he walked in the door. The furniture had been moved, it looked as if his office had been transplanted into the living room and his favorite chair was missing. He called out to his wife. No answer. Drawing his pistol, a gift from the emperor as a reward after his last mission, he quietly made his way to the kitchen. No one there. The dishes hadn't been done yet and there was a … was that a baby bottle on the counter? Thoroughly confused he made his way to his office. Which was now full of baby furniture. His beloved chair was sitting in a corner beside a crib. Still no sign of his wife. Next on the list was the bed room. Empty. The bed was unmade but other then that there was nothing odd about the room. Feeling a little foolish he put the pistol away. She was most likely at the store or possibly at the doctors. He was assuming he was going to be a father soon. That much was obvious. But why had she done all this while he was away? If she had waited until he had gotten back he would have been happy to help with everything. _

_Wait. He was going to be a father. A small smile started at the corners of his lips and then slowly spread as he fully took in the information. He was going to be a FATHER! Oh, bright Kami he was going to be a father. His mood abruptly took a left turn as he began to panic slightly. He didn't know anything about being a father. He wasn't ready to be a father yet. _What am I going to do?_ He wondered, _I can't have a child, a Sargent's pay isn't enough to raise a child._ He staggered back into the newly made nursery and sat heavily in his chair. His mood took another sharp turn as he began calculating finances and going over what would need to be done. His mood continued to switch gears at a rather alarming rate until he heard the front door open. It took a moment to register the sound and then he leapt to his feet and raced to the front hall only to stop short as he saw his wife holding a small squirming bundle of one year old energy. _

"_Ummm... Surprise?" His wife bit her lip nervously as she stood just inside the doorway. Before he could say anything the words began pouring out of her mouth in a rush to explain. What it had boiled down to was that she had found the girl in a park crying next to a woman's body. She had obviously been homeless and had died sometime during the night. The thought of just leaving the child at the hospital to be stuck in some orphanage had been intolerable, so she had brought the little girl home with her after the doctors had checked her over. _

Four years later an enemy attack had left the girl motherless again. Since then, she had become a fairly unruly tomboy. He had all but given up on making her conform to propriety. It had taken him nearly an hour to get her into the dress she was wearing and another half hour to get her hair into some semblance of acceptableness. Normally she ran around in pants and t-shirts with her hair tied into two buns. She was nothing like a proper girl, and he found he preferred it that way. "Your mother would kill me if she could see how wild I've let you become." A short knock signaled the arrival of the medic and both were silent while the woman cleaned and stitched the cut. Once she had left Ten-Ten stayed very quiet, he recognized her expression as her thinking face. He decided to wait until she was ready to speak.

"Daddy," her words were slow and thoughtful. "Why did they demote you?"  
>"They didn't." He gave an internal wince; he hadn't wanted to broach this subject for a few days yet. "I wasn't demoted. I've been reassigned." He watched her reactions carefully. "Reassigned to where? Are we moving?" The alarm on her face was clear enough. "I don't want to move!" she didn't quite whine.<br>"We aren't moving." He helped her down off the counter and sat in a tall straight backed chair, pulling her into his lap. "I've been reassigned to an active combat unit. Once the general takes command of the base I'll be leaving on a mission." he saw the tears begin to well up in her eyes and took a deep breath to tell her the hardest part. "I may be gone as long as two years."  
>"But... but why <em>you<em>?" she cried out.  
>"Because that's my job. Because sometimes that's what it means to be an Imperial soldier." he swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "If we are successful we can end this war. Then no one's daddy has go away anymore."<br>"You're gonna stop the men who killed Mama?"  
>"That's right, Ten-chan."<br>"You're gonna come back right? You're gonna come home?"  
>He smiled, "Of course I'm going to come home. I would never leave my little Panda." The tears didn't start until he pulled her into a hug.<p>

Ino shifted around impatiently as she looked through the sea of adults for her best friend. This stupid gala was boring and the only reason she wasn't completely miserable was because her friends were here as well. Somewhere. She sighed in regret for having missed what was probably the only interesting event of the night. Just before she and her parents had arrived, the general's son and the captain's daughter had gotten into a very public fight. It was just her luck to miss all the excitement by just a few minutes. After dodging a few old biddies cooing about how "pretty you are in that cute little dress!" and "what a fine young woman you are turning into!" she spotted her quarry. As usual, Haku was hiding herself in the quietest and least populated corner of the room she could find. Ino felt a twinge of sympathy for her dark haired friend. Haku disliked social gatherings. Well, Haku disliked large groups of people in general, but unfortunately being an heiress meant galas like this were common for her. She much preferred the company of animals and plants to people. Not so much because she was shy, but more because plants and animals were quiet. They weren't full of all the loud, disorganized and chaotic emotions that most people were.  
>The blonde eventually made her way through the forest of grown ups. "Haku-chan! Did you see the fight? They said the Hamasaki girl mopped the floor with the general's son." Haku gave her somewhat bloodthirsty friend a small smile. "No. There was too much noise in the main hall for me. Though I believe Shikamaru saw it."<br>"Augh... if I ask him I'll know even less then I do now. The most I'll get from him is 'What a drag,'" Ino imitated the lazy drawl of their best male friend. "Oh well. I'm sure we'll hear about it later. Did you meet the general's son yet?" Haku shook her head and let the other girl chatter on, going from topic to topic like a humming bird goes from flower to flower while they waited for Shikamaru. Both of Haku's friends were smart. In fact Shikamaru was a confirmed genius. He was also the laziest boy she had ever met. He would rather watch clouds then play games, unless it was shogi. At the word "chores" he seemed to almost teleport away. Though that suited Haku just fine. He was calm and quiet and rather peaceful to be around.  
>Ino was not. She was blindingly intelligent and probably knew more about plants and their uses then Haku ever would, but calm and quiet were foreign concepts to the popular young blonde. Fortunately the loud and brash behavior was only physical. She kept her thoughts and emotions surprisingly quiet and organized. Which also suited Haku quite well. Soon enough Shikamaru slouched his way over to them and they headed out to the garden. They were sure to carefully avoid their mothers, lest they were forced into another long and boring round of polite social chit-chat with boring stuffy adults they didn't know.<p>

"Ten-Ten, be nice."  
>"Yes, Daddy." The sweet malice in her voice gave lie to the words, but Makato let it pass with a small shake of his head. They could make the children play nicely, but they couldn't force them into friendship.<p>

"A true warrior is in control of himself at all times."

"Yes Sir!" The glare he was giving the girl three feet away from him said he didn't much care.  
>"The captain and I have duties to perform. I trust there will be no further interruptions?" The general's tone didn't leave much room for arguments.<br>"No, sir." came the hostile chorus. Now assured of a peaceful evening, the two adults moved off to join the rest of the party inside. Meanwhile the staring match continued. For some time the only sound heard were those coming from the open door across the court yard. The sun was setting before either one spoke.  
>"You hit hard."<br>"Nice sand trick." Another full minute of silence. Neither one noticed the trio standing a few yards away.  
>"Truce."<br>"Truce."

"Awww... I was hoping you you would fight again. I didn't get to see the first one." The two warrior children spun around defensively at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. The voice continued, uncaring of the battle ready stances. "I am Kimura Ino. These are my friends Yukimura Haku and Tachibana Shikamaru. Haku bowed as she was introduced, Shikamaru sort of inclined his head.

The two would-be warriors suddenly remembered their manners and snapped to attention. They bowed just enough to not be insulting, but there was nothing of respect for the three intruders.  
>"I am Oshiro Gaara. Son of General Oshira."<br>"I am Hamasaki Ten-Ten. My father is Captain Hamasaki." Resenting the unwanted intrusion from the Society children, the Military children went into the parade rest stance and presented an emotionless mask to the invaders. The Society children took the hint and retreated to the other side of the garden.

"You can't trust Society." Stated Gaara after the others were safely out of earshot.  
>"Honorless pigs." Ten-Ten agreed.<br>"Do you want to see my sand collection?"  
>"Sure." Gaara led the way to his room.<p>

"Your offer to allow Ten-Ten to stay with your family is most generous, and I am deeply grateful. I would rather she remain within the care of a Military family."  
>"Of course Captain, we take care of our own. Now, what is on your mind, Makato-san? You have been very quiet since the children's fight."<br>"It is a favor I have no right in asking. If I should not return-"  
>The older man cut him off. "As I said, we take care of our own. We can file the paperwork tomorrow."<br>"My thanks once more Tamotsu-sama. With that worry taken care of, I can focus on my mission." He bowed deeply to the General.  
>"As a father, how could I not?" replied Tamotsu, returning his bow.<p>

Choji was bored. Ten-Ten's father had dragged her to some Society party and he didn't have any other friends to hang out with. It was too late to get any work at the docks and too early to sneak into the old theater. Besides, he'd seen the current show three times already. He sighed and wandered into the kitchen to see if he could charm a treat from his grandmother.

"No Choji." she headed him off before he could ask. "Why don't you go down to the dojo and see if you can get that sensei to give you a few lessons? By the time you get back dinner will be ready." Choji sighed. "Yes, Gran." Oh well. The dojo was fun at least. He changed into some lighter clothes and headed down the block to the old dojo.

The woman who ran it was a retired army officer. While she wasn't very old, the loss of an eye and one hand had forced her out of the military, but not without a generous severance and pension. Having come from a poor family, she opened the dojo to give the local children something to do other then cause trouble. She never asked for payment other then that her students do a few odd jobs and chores for her. Choji was always happy to chop wood or carry water for awhile in exchange for a lesson in boxing. He was too heavy for most of the other martial arts styles. Sensei said that that was fine, that some of the best soldiers she had ever worked with had used the hard-hitting boxer style that came from the west.

At the dojo he saw that she was already busy with a group of older kids, so he went around back and started cutting some wood. It built the muscles he needed and helped out his sensei. She would come get him when she had a moment and show him something new or help him correct his forms. He chopped wood for a half hour or so before sensei called him in. Today she had him spar against one of her older students. The older boy hadn't been training as long as Choji but he was the faster of them. Choji went home after a good long work out with a bruised cheek and an empty stomach. Dinner would taste good.

The young private wasn't sure why he'd been the one picked to haul this white-eyed brat across the country, but he really wasn't happy about it. _I'm missing the whole festival_, he fumed. "Come on, brat, this is your stop." He grabbed the girl by the arm and hauled her out of her seat as the train rolled into the station.  
>Hinata didn't realize the soldier was talking to her until he grabbed her and yanked her up. She squirmed a bit at the harshness of his grip, but he only tightened his hold until it felt like he would crush her arm. She cried out, but he ignored her, towing her along behind him. Her light-sensitive eyes watered and stung as he pulled her off the dim train and into the brightly sunlit station. She tried to pull back into the shade, but he tugged her forward. "Come on, brat, the sooner I get rid of you, the sooner I can get home."<br>She thought about telling him the feeling was mutual, but wasn't sure she could dodge if he tried to smack her.  
>There was so much light that she couldn't see, and she didn't dare to use her special Sight. She only used that when they were alone and Daddy really needed it, even though it hadn't helped this time. Finally the pulling stopped and the soldier shoved her forward, releasing her now-bruised arm. "Which one of you is this brat's aunt?" He called out. She still couldn't see anything besides blinding white.<p>

"I am." She heard her Aunt's authoritative voice off to her left.  
>"Sign here, ma'am."<br>"I will not." She smelled familiar perfume before she was surrounded by comforting arms. She hissed at the pressure on her bruises.  
>"Ma'am, you have to-"<br>"Be quiet. Where are my niece's glasses?" Hinata felt her sleeve being pushed up, heard her Aunt's sharp intake of breath. "How dare you?" Hinata registered the sudden sound of a sharp slap. "She's a child! You've nearly broken her arm!" She turned back to her trembling charge and asked, "Where are your glasses, sweetheart?"  
>"Th-they broke, Aunt." She tried not to cry, tried to ignore the pain, and the light, tried not to think about her father, or her throbbing arm. She just wanted to go home.<br>"Assaulting a soldier is illegal. I could have you arrested, woman."  
>"Abusing a disabled child is despicable. I could have you court-martialed." She ignored his sputtered response to speak gently to her niece. "Keep your eyes closed for now, Hinata, and we'll get you a new pair on the way home." When she spoke to the soldier, her tone was sharp enough that Hinata wondered if he were bleeding. "I will be reporting you to your senior officer. Now get out of my sight."<br>"Ma'am", and the young private's tone was suddenly much more respectful, "I'm afraid you'll need to sign this paper-"  
>"-Saying she was brought into my care whole and unharmed? No."<p>

Sai stared at the drawing on the paper. He was sure he hadn't seen that. He couldn't have seen it. It was impossible. He looked at the still-bleeding paper cut on his thumb. No, he had to see it again. He had to be sure. Carefully, he squeezed a drop of blood onto the half-finished dragon he'd been drawing. The paper absorbed the blood, and the dragon on the page... wriggled. It MOVED. Damn. He had seen that. He'd have to show his uncles. No. He couldn't show his uncles. Pictures did not absorb blood. And they definitely didn't move. He was hallucinating. If he told anyone, they'd immediately think he was insane. And the Yakuza didn't let insane people work as assassins. Well, not that kind of insane, anyways.  
>No. Better to keep quiet about this, get some rest, and stop drawing for a few days. He just needed a break, that was all.<p>

* * *

><p>Ibiki sat back in his chair and signaled the waitress for another drink. His team was late. His team was three weeks and two days late, to be exact. Eleven days ago- eleven damn days!- they'd sent a message to the Hokage. The three-line note had been delivered by a snake summons:<p>

"Mission status: screwed.  
>Team casualties: negative.<br>Reverting to Plan ANKO."

He was not reassured. He knew what Plan ANKO was. A sleep- and dango-deprived Anko, stuffed full of caffeine and soldier pills, let loose in a village after the dango stands had closed for the day. Those poor bastards would have no idea what hit them.

His team had been sent on an intelligence-gathering mission to Earth Country. He could see why they'd sent Iruka. He could see why they'd sent Kurenai. Why, by Kami, had anyone sent Mitarashi Anko on a stealth mission? They'd have better luck and less noise keeping a hyperactive toddler in a room full of pots and pans.  
>He worried about his kids. They'd all be taking the Jonin exam soon, but to him they were still his Genin team. Cobbled together at the last minute, not much expected out of them when he got them.<br>Iruka, fresh out of the Academy, had been the odd man out when his year's teams were formed.  
>Kurenai had seen her first Sensei and team slaughtered in an ambush.<br>Anko was the former apprentice of the traitor Orochimaru, and widely distrusted.

And Ibiki? He'd been in ANBU, specializing in Interrogation and Torture. Why he'd been picked as their Sensei he had no idea. Anko had found him and latched onto him as his new 'apprentice', but that didn't qualify him to lead a Genin team.  
>They'd been his first Genin team, and he was sure they'd be his last. He couldn't do this again. Couldn't teach another group of children, then watch them grow up to risk their lives every day. He just wasn't strong enough.<p>

* * *

><p>After he'd finally stopped running, Naruto had holed up in an abandoned apartment building, not far from the docks. He hadn't dared to come out until was time to meet Ryuu. He was hungry, thirtsy, exhausted, and scared. It was past midnight and Ryuu was nowhere to be found. He was ready to give up, but waited. He had nowhere else to go.<p>

"Hey, Naruto! Hey!" He jerked sharply awake as someone shook his shoulder- at some point he must've dozed off.  
>"Ryuu!" He was so happy to see the older boy, he threw his arms around him. "I knew you'd come!"<br>"Yeah, I'm here." Ryuu pried himself loose and set down the bundle he was holding. "Listen, I don't have a lot of time. You need to stay low for a few days. They gave your description to the Watch, but they won't be looking for you all that hard. A couple weeks from now, no one will care, but for now, be careful. Do you have somewhere you can stay?" The little blond nodded. "Good. I brought you some stuff. I'll help you carry it there. Let's go." The pair traveled in silence until they reached the safety of Naruto's bolthole, where Ryuu spread out his bundle. "Here. Extra clothes, blankets, this's an old Army mess kit I found in the back of the supply room and I brought you enough food for a few days. Speaking of..." He rummaged through the pile and came up with a brown paper bag. "Here. Should still be warm and there's a bottle of pop in there, too." Naruto tore into the food without really tasting it, some kind of meat and veggies over rice.  
>"Thanks Nii-san!" The older boy smiled and ruffled the blond's hair.<br>"You're welcome. I gotta go now. There's some other stuff in there for you. Matches and soap, stuff like that. Remember to stay out of sight for a while. I'll be back when I can. It'll probably be a few days, so don't worry." Naruto stopped eating long enough to tackle hug him again.

Once Ryuu left, the building was oddly quiet. It was kinda nice. Naruto finished eating and with his stomach full he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. He made a bed out of the blankets and slept for the next seven hours.


	3. Discoveries: Nine Together

Disclaimer: Naruto might belong to Kishi, but I'm bigger. /smirk

* * *

><p>Tsunade frowned at the reports in front of her. She picked up the one with the bad news first. Before Iruka (not Anko, to her amazement) had blown their cover, they had learned that the Tsuchikage had allied himself with some of the lesser demons that still roamed the elemental countries. He was also planning a series of attacks against the other hidden villages. Evidence suggested that Grass and Mist would be the first targets. But that could change at any time and probably would, now that the secret was out. The first thing Tsunade had done when she received that report was send messages to the other villages warning them of Stone's betrayal. She read it once more before throwing back on the desk with a curse.<p>

The second report was worrisome, but presented no direct threat. There seemed to be a new Hidden Village. They called themselves the Village Hidden in the Sound. There was no word yet on who had founded it or why; not uncommon with new villages. So it was worth keeping an eye on, but not a major concern yet. It was more of a bureaucratic headache than anything else.

The third report was the one that kept her from setting fire to her office and dumping the Hat on the next poor soul she saw.

Two years ago, Hiashi had finally agreed to abolishing the caged bird seal. A replacement seal had been created to protect the bloodline, the man having reluctantly admitted that the village needed every pair of Byakugan eyes it could get. Days after his agreement, the delegation from Cloud had broken into the Hyuuga compound and kidnapped young Hanabi. Hiashi had pursued them himself and while he'd saved his daughter, a thrown kunai had ended the life of the Clan leader.

Hizashi had stepped up and taken control of the clan. And two years later, here in front of her was the report detailing thirty-three Hyuuga ninja who could use the Byakugan, Kaiten, and the Gentle Fist style that the clan was famous for. Having that many far-seeing eyes meant she could have Hyuuga on the walls twenty four hours a day, which would give them advance warning of attacks.  
>She sighed. One good report out of three would have to do.<p>

* * *

><p>"...And that's not even the worst part of it," Ten-Ten complained, "Choji, they're gonna make me switch schools! At the end of the term they're going to make me go to the school Gaara goes to. I don't wanna go there, that's where the Society kids go!"<br>"Maybe it won't be so bad. You said you like Gaara and you can still come play with me after school, right?" He wasn't sure who he was comforting, himself or her. He hated the idea of his only friend, the only kid who didn't make fun of his weight, going to school somewhere else. His friend was hurting and he didn't know what to do about it.  
>"Yeah, I guess." There wasn't really much else to say, so they both sat in miserable silence picking at their food until the end of the lunch period.<p>

"Hey Oshiro! Over here." Gaara cringed internally, it was the loud blonde from the party. He was fairly sure her name was Ino. For a moment he thought about ignoring her, but that would not only be rude, it would be a direct insult. And according to the lecture he had received after the party that was to be avoided. So he put a little more starch into his spine, took a tighter grip on his tray and marched over to the table occupied by the obnoxious blonde and her friends. He returned their various greetings with a stiff formal bow. "Sit with us, Gaara-san." He sat reluctantly in the empty chair across from her. "So, they said that the Hamasaki girl is going to start here next term."  
>"Yes."<br>"What's she like?"  
>"She has honor." Ino didn't blink at the implied insult.<br>"She's training to be a soldier like you right?"  
>"Yes."<br>"She's staying with your family, so does that mean your parents are arranging a marriage?"  
>"No."<br>"That's a shame, my mother says that..." Gaara tuned out the incessant babble and looked at his other table mates. The boy, it took a moment for his brain to supply his name, Shikamaru, was practically asleep. Gaara wished he could do the same. But as his mother had reminded him before he left that morning he was to be on his best behavior. His musings were interrupted when Ino thumped the dark haired boy on the shoulder. "Wake up lazy. You haven't even finished eating yet." Shika yawned and shifted out of her reach before putting his head down and resuming his nap. Ino never noticed as she was already off on to another subject.

He turned his attention to the other girl, the one he remembered thinking looked like a china doll. Pale and pretty, she had an air of grace about her. He didn't remember her name until the third time the blonde interrupted her mid-sentence. Haku, sole child and Heiress to the Yukimura family. After a few minutes, Ino caught him studying the girl. "Do you have a problem with my friend?"  
>"No. I have a problem with your manners."<br>"What's that supposed to mean?" Ino was standing now, her hands on her hips and her face turning red.  
>"Lower your voice and sit down." She suddenly realized that everyone was staring at her and she slid back into her seat.<br>"It means I don't like the way you treat your friends."  
>"Why should I care what some stupid wannabe soldier thinks?" Ino regretted it as soon as she said it. Black anger showed on his face for the briefest moment before an impassive mask slid over his features.<br>Gaara struggled with the voice whispering in the back of his mind that insisted that _strangling the obnoxious girl with your sand is a brilliant idea_ before gaining mastery of himself once more. Standing, he gave an insultingly short bow and quick marched out of the room.  
>"Ino, why were you so mean to him?" Haku asked.<br>"What a drag," added Shika. Ino at least had the decency to look embarrassed.

Sai checked to make sure no one was around, then he pulled out his sketch book. He turned to the page with the now finished dragon on it. One more check to make sure his little area of the park was empty and before he could lose his nerve he used a razor to slash a cut into the heel of his palm. Blood poured out onto the page. For a moment nothing happened, then the dragon stood up on top of the sketch book.  
>"Wow! That's awesome! How did you do that?" Sai's heart nearly stopped at the sound of the other's voice just inches from his ear. As he lost his concentration the dragon slipped back onto the page. "Hi, I'm Naruto." Sai scanned the area to make sure no one had heard the loud mouthed kid. How had the blonde gotten that close without him noticing? "Where..."<br>"I was up there." The loud blond pointed up at the tree they were both sitting under. "What's your name?"  
>"Sai." If anyone had done that to his uncles, they would be dead by now. "You can't tell anybody!" His brain began to catch up to what was happening.<br>"I can't tell anyone your name?" Naruto asked. "Okay." He reached back and scratched the back of neck, confused.  
>"No, I mean that." Sai pointed to the now inert dragon.<br>"I'm no snitch. Besides, it was really neat! Can you do it again?"  
>"I think so." He dribbled more blood onto the page and the two boys spent the rest of the afternoon playing with the dragon.<p>

* * *

><p>Kurenai sighed as she deftly plucked the kunai out of Anko's hand and stuck her foot out to trip Iruka mid-charge. She was fairly sure the only reason they had put her on this team was to babysit her teammates. Normally Iruka was calm, reasonable and level-headed, but even after so many years of being on the same team, Anko still managed to get under his skin just by walking into the room.<p>

"Anko, he didn't mean to make you drop your dango sticks. Iruka, don't take what she says so personally. Our Jonin exams start in four hours. If you two can behave like adults until then," she couldn't believe she was actually going to say this, "I'll go with you to karaoke tonight." The two combatants gave her feral grins.  
>"You have to sing, 'Nai-chan! At least five songs."<br>"Yes! And we get to pick them."  
>"Three songs. You can each pick one."<br>"All right, just three. But that means you're paying for drinks."  
>"And dango!"<br>"Fine." Kurenai gave in, already feeling the migraine starting.  
>"YAAAAYY!"<br>Yes. She was a babysitter. And her charges were allowed to play with deadly weapons. She should have listened to her mother and married that banker, damn it. Kurenai sighed again, unconsciously smiling as she followed her teammates toward another night of drunken, off-key debauchery.

Hyuuga Hizashi spoke louder than normal. "Why is the Traitor's apprentice being promoted to full Jonin? We all know she-"  
>Tsunade cut him off before he could continue. <em>They might not enslave their kin anymore, <em>she mused,_ but the Hyuuga are still uptight, pompous and arrogant. Ah well. Take your victories where you can find them_, she thought, and focused her attention once more.  
>"Yes, we all know, Hizashi. She was Orochimaru's apprentice for two years. But as I recall, it was this Council, with Hyuuga recommendation, that approved his application for Genin-sensei of her team despite his... extra-legal activities."<br>The Hokage sat back in her chair and folded her hands on the table. "Two years of emotional and physical abuse, followed by eleven years of skilled, devoted service to this Village. I believe she has more than demonstrated her loyalty to the Leaf."  
>"Then, if it is the Council's wish, I concede, Hokage-sama." Hizashi took his seat, radiating disapproval. Yamanaka Inoichi smirked and stood to be recognized.<br>"If there are no other concerns, Hokage-sama, I suggest we confirm the status of these three Jonin candidates and move on to other business."  
>"Very well then," Tsunade turned to an Ox-masked ANBU. "Will you please inform Ibiki-san of the promotion of Yuuhi Kurenai, Umino Iruka, and Mitarashi Anko to full Jonin status? I am sure he'll want the honor of being the one to inform his students." The ANBU nodded and shunshined out.<br>"Inoichi-san, please continue."  
>"Hai, Hokage-sama. Our spies in Earth Country have confirmed that the Tsuchikage is now openly building his forces. It is also confirmed that nearly twenty percent of that is made up of either demons or some kind of demon hybrid." His face did not betray his revulsion at that idea. "Kakashi will tell you the rest." An ANBU opened the door and Kakashi wandered in, his face buried in an orange book. "Sorry I'm late, I was on my-"<br>"Save the excuse, Hatake. You aren't late, for once." growled Inuzuka Tsume.  
>"Oh." He looked mildly nonplussed. "Right then. We've learned that Stone has made an alliance with the Hidden Sound village. We've also learned who the founder of Sound is."<br>"Well?" demanded the Hyuuga leader when Kakashi fell silent.  
>"Orochimaru." The room sat in stunned silence for a full minute before all hell broke loose. Kakashi sighed. This was going to be a long meeting. He wasn't done talking.<p>

Anko sat quietly while the medic-nin set the bones in her leg, her focus turned inward. He finished and she nodded absently when he sent her on her way with an admonishment to take it easy over the next few days. Her feet left the hospital on automatic and found their way to her favorite dango stand. She didn't remember ordering it, but soon she she was sitting in one of the training grounds with a bag full of untouched dango.  
>A few hours later, Iruka and Kurenai found her still sitting there, a bag of ant-infested dango at her feet. She didn't look up when they approached.<p>

"They're not going to promote me. They never will. It doesn't matter how skilled I am, how many missions I take, how many lives I save. It doesn't matter what I do. All I'll ever be is 'the Traitor's apprentice'." She spoke quietly as her teammates- her best friends- sat on either side of her. Kurenai wrapped her arms around the younger woman. "Ne, Anko, don't think like that. If Tsunade-sama didn't think you would be promoted, she wouldn't have encouraged you to take the test." Iruka soothed.  
>"I've got blanks and gaps in my memory that can't be accounted for. Even if the proctors pass me, it'll be blocked by the Council. They'll claim I'm a sleeper agent, and they might be right."<br>"No, they aren't. Yondaime-sama himself set the seals surrounding those gaps in your memory, and," Kurenai cut off the protest before it could start, "even if sleeper instructions are hidden somewhere else in your mind, we wouldn't let you hurt anyone." Iruka turned the young snake summoner's face to look at him. "Nor would we let anyone else hurt you, Anko-chan." She made a face at the 'chan' but it was half-hearted. Damn teammates and their logic.

"Listen to your teammates, Mitarashi-san." The new voice startled them all as what seemed like half the village ANBU dropped into the clearing. "And for the record," the first speaker added, "Last time we checked, you were Ibiki's apprentice. By the way, he wants you three in his office yesterday."  
>The clearing emptied as suddenly as it had filled.<p>

* * *

><p>-three weeks later-<p>

Naruto struggled against the grip on his arm. While he managed to wring a few pained grunts from his manhandler, nothing he did loosened the other's grip.  
>"Ryuu! Let go! I'm s'posed to go meet Sai!"<br>"You can play with your friend later. Right now, you are going to school. And don't even think of skipping out." Over the smaller boy's protests, he continued. "I had to do a lot of people a lot of favors to get you enrolled, no questions asked, in the middle of the term."  
>They'd stopped in front of the school. Fall was turning to winter and the bare tree branches overheard made the old building seem desolate and foreboding.<br>"I thought you wanted me to lay low and stay outta sight!" The whiskered blond gave another experimental tug as he tried his latest argument, but both lacked the effort of his earlier tries. He was starting to feel guilty. Ryuu had done a lot for him. Getting him into school without alerting the authorities and going straight back to the orphanage was no small order, and Naruto knew it. "Three weeks is long enough to lay low; besides, we're on the other side of the city. They're not going to find you here."  
>"Why do I haveta go, anyway? It's not like I'm going to university or anything. I'm gonna be in the Army when I'm bigger, like you."<br>"I'm not in the Army yet," he said, pulling the reluctant eight year old up the steps to the door. "And even soldiers need to know how to read and do math. Besides, you never know. You might find something you want to study at university."

Finally! They were inside, and Naruto's classroom was just down the hall. "Now, stop stalling. You're late." He opened the door and triumphantly pushed the wide-eyed blond in ahead of him. Twenty-one pairs of eyes focused on them. Ryuu bowed to the teacher, his hand on Naruto's shoulder subtly pressuring the boy to bow as well. "Forgive me for not having him here sooner, Sensei. He will be on time tomorrow." He gave the blonde's shoulder a squeeze, subtly scolding and also encouraging a nervous Naruto. The teacher returned the bow and smiled gently. "I understand, Fukui-san. I have been a teacher for many years, and in all those years I have yet to meet a boy who would rather study than make mischief." The older man grinned like the mischievous schoolboy he must once have been and turned to Naruto. "Come; I am sure your brother has classes of his own to attend." _Brother?_ Naruto looked questioningly over at Ryuu. Ryuu grinned and nodded before slipping out the door. "Class, this is Fukui Naruto. He'll be joining us for the rest of the term."

Naruto froze when he heard the teacher give him a family name. Ryuu's name. Orphaned as an infant, Naruto had never had a family name. Ryuu hadn't been an orphan until a few years ago, when his family was killed by enemy soldiers.  
>"Why don't you have a seat over there, Naruto-kun?" In a daze, Naruto took the seat near the window that Sensei pointed out. He obediently pulled out a book, not really seeing it. He had a brother. He had a name. He had a family.<p>

From the corner of her eye, Hinata observed her new friends. Choji sat close to her, happily munching on some chips while on his other side, Ten-ten speared her sushi with far too much enthusiasm. She looked down at her own lunch. Rice, miso soup, and some of last night's fish. Lunch wasn't usually so bland, but her Aunt hadn't had the time to go shopping yesterday.

She missed her father. It had been a month since his arrest and her subsequent placement in her Aunt's care. She didn't remember much about the arrest. She'd been awakened by a loud crashing noise and a lot of shouting. Seconds later, she was blinded by a painfully bright light. She was picked up, too shocked to struggle, and carried out to a waiting car. Her memories after that were fuzzy. Someone had told her that father was being arrested and they'd "sort out what to do with her later". It had taken a few days for them to find and contact her Aunt. The train ride had been horrible, she recalled with a grimace. Three days huddled in the sleeper car listening to that soldier whine about what he could have been doing if it wasn't for her. As if she'd asked for this.

"-ata? Hey, Hinata, you okay?" Choji's voice broke into her less than pleasant thoughts. Her face flushed as she realized she'd been staring into space with her chopsticks frozen halfway to her mouth. "Y-yes, I'm fine, Choji-kun. Just thinking." She smiled at the larger boy, and was saved from having to elaborate on her thoughts when a teacher approached them. Trailing him was a blond boy in an orange t-shirt.  
>"Hello Choji, Ten-ten, and... Hinata, correct?" She nodded shyly. "I have a favor to ask. This is Naruto." He gave the blond a gentle push closer to them. "He's new here, and I thought maybe you three could show him around, teach him the ropes." He smiled, all the while keeping a hand on Naruto's shoulder. <em>Smart move, Sensei<em>, noted Hinata. He looked eager to be anywhere else, and ready to bolt at any second.  
>The seated students exchanged glances. "We can do that, Sensei." spoke up Ten-ten.<br>"Great! Have fun, kids." He patted the shoulder he'd been gripping and went off to do whatever it was teachers did at lunch. Ten-ten kicked out a chair for the new kid, who nodded and put his tray on the table.  
>"Ugh! Don't eat that." Choji warned, pointing to the brown and gray mass on the tray. "Usually the school lunch is pretty good, but Thursday is always the 'Chef's Special', which means they took this week's leftovers and threw it in a pot of gravy." Choji put some chips and a rice ball on a napkin and slid it over.<br>"Always bring your lunch on Thursdays." added Ten-ten, placing a few pieces of sushi and a dango stick on the napkin.  
>"I d-didn't believe them. I s-spent two d-days sick." Hinata deftly upturned the cup of 'special sauce' onto the tray and cleaned it out with a napkin before pouring in half of her soup and adding a piece of baked fish to the now fairly respectable pile of edibles on the napkin.<br>"Thanks." Naruto smiled gratefully as he pushed the tray to the side. Not even anything the orphanage had served had been quite that nasty.  
>There was silence for a minute as everyone resumed eating. It was Naruto who finally spoke first. "So... what do you guys do for fun?"<br>"Well, tonight the old theater is starting a new show. We were gonna sneak in." It only took Naruto a moment to decipher the words through Choji's mouthful of chips.  
>"Great! Can I bring a friend?" Sai didn't get out much, it would be good for him.<br>"Sure."  
>"So when are we going? Right after school?"<br>"Nah, I gotta go to work. The show doesn't start until seven anyway." Choji poured the last of the chips into his mouth and crumpled up the bag.  
>"We meet at the playground with the big hedge maze at six thirty. You know where that is?" Ten-ten took up the conversation thread while Choji crunched his way through the mouthful of chips.<br>"Yeah, I've been there." he paused for a moment until Choji swallowed. "You said you work, right?"  
>"I pack fish and run errands."<br>"Well..." he hesitated a moment before asking; he knew that jobs like Choji's were jealously guarded by those who had them. "You think maybe there's enough work there that I could pick some up once in awhile?" Ryuu was helping as much as he could; after he joined the army and was getting regular pay he might be able to help more, but Naruto knew he couldn't rely on the older boy for everything. He had to have a way to earn his own money.  
>Choji squinted at him and then shrugged. "Maybe. Come down to the docks with me and I'll introduce you to some of the boat captains." They chatted for a while until the lunch teacher signaled the end of lunch and they all returned to their respective classes.<p>

"Gaara-san," Ino said through clenched teeth, "Would you like to accompany us to the theater tonight for the opening of the new show?" she continued. The knuckle her mother was digging into her back relented after she got the invitation out.  
>"It would be my pleasure Ino-san." Gaara spit each word like it was a bullet, but when he accepted the thumb digging into his shoulder disappeared. "Why don't you two go play?" Gaara's father intoned. The two children glared daggers at each other and then at their parents before joining Haku and Shikamaru at the swing set. Tamatsu sighed and turned to Ino's mother. "Please forgive my son, I'm afraid it is difficult for him to make friends."<br>"I must apologize for my daughter as well. Her manners are somewhat lacking when it comes to her peers." The botany professor smiled, "Of course I'm not much better."  
>"Hai Eiko-san," he chuckled. "I suppose our children do pick up our... quirks." They joined Shikamaru's father and Haku's nanny on some benches.<br>"So tomorrow is the transfer of command. I understand that Captain Hamasaki appointed you to be his daughter's guardian." It was not a question so much as a statement directed at the old general by Doctor Tachibana Sumiku, Shikamaru's father, who worked at the university with Ino's parents.  
>"Yes, the children are not happy about it, but they seem to have called a truce and have ceased open hostilities for the moment." Haku's nanny sniffed disapprovingly at this statement but remained silent.<br>"That was a rather spectacular fight they had." Ino's father Goro put in.  
>The overpaid nanny muttered something that sounded like "hooligans". She stood stiffly and called out, "Haku-sama, it's time to go."<br>"But we just got here!" Haku pouted.  
>"It's much too cold for you be playing out here." Despite it being late fall it was actually warm enough that most of the children weren't wearing much more then light jackets. Haku sighed and muttered, "I'll see you tonight," to her friends before being swept along in the wake of her nurse, who could be heard holding forth as they left. "Come along now, Haku-sama. No dawdling. And for goodness' sake, don't slouch! You're beginning to pick up bad manners from those friends of yours..." The others could hear the harangue continue as the poor girl was towed out of the park and down the street.<br>"Insufferable woman." Eiko murmured.  
>"She'll be gone as soon as Haku gives her the slip for more than ten minutes, if what Shika tells me is right." Sumiku assured them. "Apparently Haku-chan has become quite good at evading her watchers."<br>He watched as his son reluctantly played peacemaker between Ino and Gaara. How had he gotten such a lazy son? Ah well, it couldn't be helped. Shikamaru had been nearly three years old when Sumiku adopted him. He knew that the influences in those first few years of a child's life were a key part of personality development. Although this General's son, Gaara, did seem to be a good influence on Shika. He was starting to take an active interest in aikido and kite-flying. It was an odd combination, but he wasn't about to question the activities that got his normally-indolent son out of the house and running around. He was brought out of his musings by the continuation of the conversation. "An independent heiress? That's sure to give her parents fits when she starts dating." Tamatsu chuckled as he watched his son bicker with the blonde girl. He rather approved of Ino. She was an outspoken little thing; she'd get Gaara out of his shell by sheer annoyance if nothing else.  
>"We won't have those problems," proclaimed Goro confidently. "Ino won't be dating until she's thirty. Ow." He rubbed his chest where his loving wife had thwacked it. "We agreed she can date- if she wants- when she's fourteen, husband. Not thirty." His lovely wife raised a challenging eyebrow at him as she spoke.<p>

They both smiled, remembering the day they had brought Ino home from the hospital. Sumiku, who'd known of their difficulties conceiving a child, had dropped by her office one spring afternoon. He told her that half of his medical students had spent the class oohing and aahing over a cute little infant girl that had been found abandoned in an alleyway and brought to the hospital. The child was in good health and now officially up for adoption. A week later, she and her husband had left the hospital with a beautiful baby daughter. They'd been pleasantly surprised when she'd shown interest, then talent, in both of their respective fields. She was growing up faster than they might have wished but they were proud of their little girl. She was bidding fair to grow into a young woman who had stunning looks, intelligence, and determination, despite her brash attitude.

Ino and Gaara finally stopped sniping at each other when Shikamaru brought out his new kite. Shika had known about his ability to manipulate the shadows for some time now. Lately he had been experimenting with shadows as a way to replace the strings on his kites. For the most part, his experiments were successful, as long as the kite didn't get too far away from him. Today though, he was using strings. Ino and Haku were his best friends and they knew each others' secrets, but the adults didn't need to know and Gaara was an unknown quality.  
>Haku could make ice do just about anything she wanted- could even freeze fog into ice- but it tired her out far more than Shika's shadows tired him. (His theory was that it was because shadows had no actual mass, so were easier to manipulate.) Ino's secret was scary, and it made Shikamaru glad he could trust her. Ino could see inside people's heads. He always took her advice when she said to stay away from someone. Haku was good at reading people too, but... He still remembered that teacher who'd gotten in trouble and had to leave in the middle of the year. He remembered how Ino had taken care to avoid him.<br>They took turns playing with his kite for almost an hour until their parents herded them home to eat dinner and get ready for the show.

It took Naruto a little while to find Sai, but eventually he tracked the artistic boy to the same park they'd first met.  
>"Hey, Sai! There you are." Naruto greeted as he flopped down next to his friend.<br>"Should I be somewhere else?" Sai's blank mask never changed. Naruto chuckled, used to Sai's quirks by now.  
>"Nah, I guess not. Hey, sorry I didn't show earlier. Nii-san made me go to school, then a kid I met showed me where I could pick up some work. It's not a lot," he rambled, "but now I can buy groceries for the next couple days, so Ryuu doesn't have to worry about me. Oh yeah, I almost forgot- the kid said we could hang out with him and his friends tonight and go see some show. You in?" Sai had gotten used to Naruto's constant chatter, and the blond had learned to interpret Sai's silences and often-odd statements. "Great!" enthused Naruto, correctly interpreting Sai's lack of reply as "acceptance". The two headed out and soon enough met with Choji and his friends at the designated spot.<br>"So how do we get in?" asked the ever-curious blond as they made their way to the old theater. Ten-ten's smirk and reply of, "You'll see!" was all the answer he got. Finally they stopped at the alley separating the theater from a bookshop, Choji in the lead. He looked back. "Ready, Ten?"  
>"Yep." Ten-ten waited for an opportune moment and then slipped in, following a middle-aged couple too involved with their argument to notice the child walking so close behind them. The usher handing out programs didn't bat an eye.<br>"How'd she do that?" was the general query.  
>"The ushers don't know that she's not with them, and they were too busy talking to notice. We always pick the distracted couples to do this." Choji grinned and led them to a side door off the alley. A few moments later it was opened by a rather pleased Ten-ten.<p>

Choji waited for everyone to get in ahead of him before going through the side entrance, bag of chips in hand. He was startled when a boy with a long ponytail dashed in right before the door closed, but the unknown kid simply bowed and smiled so Choji put a finger to his lips and motioned the group, plus their new member, to follow him. He'd done this often enough that he led them easily through the darkened corridor to the audience seating. Once inside, the ponytailed boy tugged his sleeve and took the lead. He led his new companions to a section off to the side and sank gracefully into a seat next to a red-haired boy and a pretty blonde girl, who promptly spoke up. "Hey Haku, you made it! Shika will be back in a minute. Who're your friends?" Ino leaned forward to get a look at the newcomers.  
>"I don't know yet. They helped me get in, but we haven't been formally introduced." Haku smiled. Choji, settling into the row behind them, was surprised to hear the "boy" speak in a soft, musical voice. The red-head spoke up, recognizing one of the group. "Hello Ten-ten."<br>"Hi, Gaara. Didn't expect to see you here." Gaara shrugged.  
>"That's right, you're Captain Hamasaki's daughter." Haku exclaimed softly as she recognized the girl from the party. "I didn't recognize you without the formal wear- or the stitches." Her smile relaxed the sometimes-touchy Ten-ten.<br>"Will you introduce us to your friends?" Haku asked as Shikamaru strolled up from wherever he'd been. Introductions were made all around and the group of nine talked and bantered (and bickered) until the lights went down and the show began.

It was horrible. The actors were wooden. The script might have had some redeeming value, had the actors bothered to memorize it. The kindest thing one could say about the set design was "Well, they tried", which was more then they could say for the cast.  
>Then it simply became ridiculous. Someone made shadow puppets on the backdrop throughout the performance. One actor slid in an incongruous pile of sand and took out a badly-made "tree". Every now and then an oversized white mouse would chase the leading lady around the stage, causing more chaos. When the entire set, stage and props started to develop a thin layer of ice, the actors gave up and ran, slipping, sliding and panicking, off stage. The audience applauded, roaring with laughter although the show had been advertised as a drama.<p>

The nine children left the theater laughing as they headed for the park across the street. The only one who was quiet was Hinata. She'd taken advantage of the darkness and used her special Sight to peek backstage and see what was going on. She quickly forgot about backstage when she realized what was going on around her. After that, she sat through the show in stunned silence. Choji was the first to notice. "Hinata-chan? You haven't said a word, are you okay?"  
>"Yeah, you look as pale as Sai," Naruto chimed in with typical tact.<p>

Gazing at her friends- _I have_ _friends now-_ looking at her with concern in their eyes, she decided to take a big risk. She would trust them. She reasoned that if it all went sour, she always had the option of disappearing to run her father's con games. He was the best, and his capture had taught her a valuable lesson on what not to do. Still, she knew her aunt would worry if she- Hinata shook herself out of her thoughts. Trust. Yes. She took a deep breath and stepped into the puddle of light from the overhead lamp.

"You have to promise n-not to tell anyone. I m-mean it." After they solemnly promised to keep her secret, she closed her eyes and took off her dark glasses. Another deep breath. She opened her eyes, ignoring a gasp from those who hadn't already seen her milk-pale irises. She focused, and let herself See. Instead of gasps, there was now stunned silence at her raised veins and wide eyes. She spoke into the quiet night. "You all are like m-me. I Saw it. I can See it in you now. You glow blue, and under that you're all a different color. Most people don't glow a-at all. Just bones and s-stuff."

She didn't, couldn't, look any at of her new friends. The night wouldn't hide their faces from her now. She didn't want to look. The shocked silence didn't end. She was starting to think that this had been a mistake. A huge mistake. She shouldn't have said anything. She should shut up and run, quickly. She tried to turn, to do just that, but found she couldn't move. Her muscles tried to obey her, but when she looked down she realized she was bound by- several things. She was being held in place by ropes of sand, planes of ice, and something black and wet- was that ink? She Looked again and saw that the shadows were twisting up around her legs, as if they wanted her to stay put, too. Just like in the theater, she traced each one back, using their different colors, to Gaara, Haku, Sai, and Shikamaru, respectively. _Oh no. Oh no, no, no._

Haku saw the pale-eyed girl start to shiver and let go of her ice, though she wasn't entirely sure it was the cold making her tremble. Hinata was still bound by the other boys' sand, ink, and shadow, and they didn't look like they needed a rest. Hinata wasn't going anywhere until they got some answers. Haku stepped forward to speak, maybe soothe the clearly frightened girl, but Ten-ten beat her to it.  
>"It's okay Hinata-chan, we're not gonna tell." She spoke back over her shoulder, "Let her go, guys." Hinata was suddenly released. Choji caught her before her rubbery legs went out from under her.<p>

She wanted to weep with relief, but was distracted when Ten-ten pointed toward a knothole on a distant tree. Choji absently noted that it was about the size of a potato chip. She grabbed a bandana out of Shikamaru's pocket and tied it over her eyes. From her pocket, she pulled out five throwing knives, tiny and unimpressive at first. Then, almost nonchalantly, she threw them in quick succession. She took off her impromptu blindfold and strolled over to retrieve her knives from where they'd landed, side by side, in the center of the knothole.  
>Coming back she looked at Gaara. "Your turn." Gaara poured a handful of sand from the bag in his pocket and formed it into a small toy soldier. He set it on the ground and it walked stiffly toward Ino, then fell back into sand. She grinned teasingly at him despite the situation. "It doesn't salute?" He looked down and muttered "...Still working on that."<p>

He was saved when Sai asked innocently, "Can you do anything, Ino-san?" She bristled until Naruto waved a hand at her- _that's just Sai-_ and replied, "Mine's harder to show, ummm... okay. Naruto-kun, relax, this is gonna feel funny."  
>Ino faced her fellow blond, closed her eyes and concentrated. "...Your favorite color is orange. The last thing you ate was veggies and rice. Your older brother isn't your real brother, but you came from the same orphanage. He takes care of you now because..." She stopped. That was something she didn't have the right to reveal. Impulsively, she hugged him tightly. "I won't tell anyone, Naruto-kun. I'm sorry, I didn't..."<p>

"Ne, it's okay Ino-chan. You were right, that was weird. I could feel you sorta... moving around in my head!" He wouldn't show it, but inside he was shaking. She had seen. She knew what had happened the day he ran away. But... she'd hugged him, and kept his secret. Putting these confusing thoughts aside for later, he took a steadying breath and showed his friends his biggest grin. "So, I guess that means it's my turn. Ten-ten, can I borrow one of your knives?"  
>He stepped into the light near where Choji was still supporting a recovering Hinata. He pushed up his coat sleeve and showed everyone his unmarked arm. He drew the blade across his arm, causing the others to startle and cry out as blood dripped from the shallow cut. He waited a few seconds, then wiped his shirt-tail across his arm to reveal a thin red line, all that was left of the nearly-healed cut. It finished closing as they watched. He used the sleeve of his now ruined shirt to clean off Ten-ten's beloved knife, handing it back to her with a small bow. He turned to Choji. "You're up, Choji."<p>

Choji bit his lip, looking from Naruto to a still-silent Hinata. If he let her go, he thought, she might run away, or faint, or both! Naruto solved his unspoken dilemma by putting his arm around her and nodding at the larger boy.

He walked slowly over to a nearby stone bench and stood next to it. Even in the dark his friends could see his arm and hand nearly triple in size as he used it to grasp the edge of the bench. One-handed, he lifted it into the air. It got to the height of his shoulder before his muscles started to give and his careful lowering of the heavy bench ended in a crash as it dropped back into place. Choji collapsed on the bench, exhausted and suddenly starving. He didn't do that very often, as it took more food than he usually had on hand to replenish his energy.

"It's your turn. Show them, Shika." Ino nudged the boy in question forward. After a muttered "Troublesome" and a moment's thought, he used his shadows to take the glasses from Hinata's hand and place them gently on her face. "Haku?"

The heiress to the city's richest family pointed at a puddle on the ground and they watched as the water in it crystallized into an abstract shape: a miniature ice sculpture. "I can make ice, though it tires me somewhat to do so. I believe it is Sai's turn." The ice melted back into a puddle as the cultured girl took a seat on the bench next to Choji. Nearby, Ino snorted quietly. Her best friends had no sense for the dramatic, she thought. Well, that was why they needed her. She smiled and focused on Sai, who was already drawing something in his sketchbook.  
>He took a small razor blade out of its binding and made a small cut on his thumb beneath several others in various stages of healing. In the past few weeks he had learned that he only needed a drop of blood to make his drawings move. Making them come off the page and live took a bit more; but the more he focused on it, the less blood he needed. He smeared his thumb across the paper and a two-headed cat with webbed feet and a lizard tail jumped off the page and waddled rather comically over to Ten-ten.<p>

Nearby, Hinata smiled shyly at Sai's creature's antics. She'd let her Sight fade a few minutes ago. Keeping her special vision up was tiring and after awhile it gave her a headache, so she was as surprised as anyone else when they heard a low chuckling and a large man came from behind some bushes and grabbed Choji. "Well now, kiddies, that was an impressive display. I could make some real money off that."


End file.
